Saturday, 29 December 2012

Rapha #festive500 Day 6 (Ride 5) - Riding with Minipips

Today I was hoping for another big day as I was riding home from my sisters. I have to admit I wasn't feeling enthusiastic about the challenge anymore but I had made plans to meet Rich and minipips for lunch in Ashbourne at 12noon. Waking up at 8am I wanted to continue hiding in bed, it sounded wet and windy. But I knew I had to get out seeing as there was no way minipips would bail. The first part of the journey was pleasant if I ignored the wind, nice country lanes and not too hilly (I'm always surprised how hilly round Coalville is). Then I got to Derby, somehow I ended up on the ring road on a flyover just as the rain became a deluge, nowhere to pull over I was glad I had my lights on. Once I negotiated Derby I found myself on lanes again and it even stopped raining! With perfect timing I arrived at the Ashbourne end of the tunnels for 12noon and my lunch date.

Ashbourne didn't seem to have any cyclist cafes so we ended up in Costa, which meant huge hot chocolates, before heading back up the Tissington Trail. Minipips showed us how its done, out-sprinting me to a bridge and having regular haribo stops! For most of the trail we were sheltered from the rain but once in a while we came out in the open and it hit us, still I was able to shelter behind minipips!

At the end of the Tissington Trail as back to loving cycling so I headed off to Buxton, then Whaley Bridge, then Disley, the Stockport, then home. I kept thinking about getting the train but I was having too much fun! Meant I got a big chunk of the festive500 done though.